How to get LIGHTNING FAST FINGERS on the clarinet - Vade-Mecum Special Trills walkthrough

[@emjay2045]

Merci. Very good instructions.

[@cathy_clarinet]

Made it through the video. I’ve played this for years, but saw your video and thought I better make sure I do it right all these years 😁. Great job on the video. You’re very cute and funny 👏🎶

[@EmilJonason]

I'm glad you liked the video!

[@cathy_clarinet]

Emil Jonason Sent to some students too.

[@EmilJonason]

@@cathy_clarinet Great to hear! I made this video for my students as well.. :)

[@ianclarkson4002]

Thank you Emil.

[@mendezamorelisandroismael6442]

Thanks a lot!!!!!

[@moragclark29]

This is fabulous thankyou. (I have now ordered the book to start myself. ) Its great that you show the fingerings but your clarinet is different from mine (Buffet Tradition). I have 4 keys for the right hand little finger laid out it a 'square' shape. It looks like your keys are either in a different shape or there are 5 of them ?

[@moragclark29]

Sorry - my Buffet is a Vintage !

[@EmilJonason]

I see. Yes, I have an extra key for slightly sharper low F. 😁

[@Evan-kj6ye]

Hey, so I checked out the book on Amazon, but I don't speak (French), I'm English. Is there a book that is English?

[@EmilJonason]

The exercises in the book has initial instructions in several languages, including English, but the detailed instructions throughout the actual exercises are in French (which I try my best to interpret in the video). :) I haven't come across the book I English I'm afraid.

[@Evan-kj6ye]

@@EmilJonason Awh, dang it. Was looking forward to up my game. Thank you though!

[@classicaloracle]

Thanks for this video which I have forwarded to pupils. Do you have any opinions about the 5th study and missing accidentals? He does this consistently so I begin to wonder if it's deliberate! An example is the last line of the 1st page when ascending the Eb scale - no E,B or Abs in the 2nd octave!

[@EmilJonason]

Hello Walter! Happy to hear that you like the video, hope your students will too... ;) I see what you mean. I haven't used the studies further than the third study (right hand exercises). But it does look weird, and since he writes that it should be exercises in every scale I would apply the accidentals on the upper octaves as well. For me it makes more sense.

[@ianclarkson4002]

Hello Emil. I am coming back to clarinet playing after a 25 Yr hiatus. When I stopped all those years ago I had reached a very good standard, first clarinet player in the Royal Marines Band Service for 25 years. I am using the Verde - Mecum, UHL studies book 1and my old Klose study book. Do you have any advice on getting full control of my fingers back again? Thank you.

[@EmilJonason]

Hello Ian! Sounds you're one heck of an experienced clarinetist! :) I would recommend to play stuff you love firstly, and secondly focus on the fingers/embouchure/other stuff. At least for me, whenever I want to get back on track after a long holiday (not 25 years though!) I get super depressed if I ONLY play technical stuff. I think one needs to start with the fun stuff, and then set the practice discipline to work with Vade-Mecum, long notes or other etudes... And be careful you don't play too much the first days, so you don't ruin the embouchure. ;) Hope it helps!

[@whoitisnot]

I'd given up using the odd fingering in this one because the pitch bothered me but I'll give it another go. I still wonder if playing odd fingerings on a daily basis might lead to using them in actual music by accident. Has this been your experience at all? It seems effective either way.

[@EmilJonason]

Hi! In my experience I've never accidentally used any "odd" fingering when playing concerts, and I've never heard from any student/colleague that they have either due to the Vade-Mecum. I would argue that since this is just one exercise there is a very low risk of accidentally using the wrong fingering when playing something else. Regarding the pitch I completely agree; it's annoying but I think the benefits of the Vade-Mecum makes it worth it. :)

[@whoitisnot]

@@EmilJonason Do you use the rest of the exercise as well? I find playing them all, well except the last etude which I haven't explored yet, very helpful in maintaining my technique. On busy days I might only do 2 or even 1 of the exercises but I do try to stick with it! Most are actually fun!

[@rashakor]

Those are not really odd fingerings. In many french method books, you are trained to almost always hold the F/C keys when using the E/B or the F#/C# with the opposite hand.

[@whoitisnot]

@@rashakor Those are not the ones I was talking about. I'm talking about the ones with bad tone and intonation that you wouldn't use anywhere else. For example 1+1 throat Eb - VERY sharp, or low C# to D holding the C# key down - make the D VERY sharp.

[@rashakor]

whoitisnot Those fingerings are useful in certain types of clarinets. Notably in early Boehm’s and some Muller and Alberts. Also many beginner players (at least in the USA or with wide bore american clarinets) are chronically flat. I agree fully that they are mostly useless if not counter productive in modern instruments.

[@filipjarmuszczak4488]

Hello Emil! So nice to watch your video, it reminded me about some important things about Jeanjean's 1st exercise! :) One question about the line starting with D natural: don't you think by "+index" he means the "fork" E flat fingering, played by two index fingers? It makes sense to me, because he uses "Cle No. 7" to describe the "right" E flat before, as well as "Cle No. 7bis" about the "left" E flat. Please let me know what you think, greetings and thanks again for this walk-through! :)

[@EmilJonason]

Filip! Thank you! I will edit the video when I find the time! 😁